(Minghui.org) There were recently some very touching reports about truth clarification activities in different regions around the world on the Epoch Times and the Minghui website. The only problem was that the images used could have been better, which probably took away from helping people see the beauty of Dafa or inspiring kindness from our readers.
It felt to me that the photos used in our event reports were causally taken, without all due seriousness.
Those with a basic knowledge of photography could discern the problems. For example, in order to get your point across in such a fast-paced world, a good photo should highlight a person, a theme, or a story. This is especially true with news photos. A powerful news photo tells the story right away with just one glance.
Some wide-angle lenses and telephoto lenses can create a beautiful bokeh effect and highlight the subject with a clean background so that the photo can be more enjoyable for the readers.
In ancient times, even a commoner mastered basic art skills such as playing an instrument or painting. But in modern society, arts education isn't as prevalent as it used to be, as not many people are interested in it or consider it important.
With the specter of communism looming over our world, modern technology has taken over and changed our lifestyle in many regards. For many Dafa practitioners, we didn't have the cultural environment to receive basic art education. As the arts is a divine gift to man, a good piece of artwork has the power to uplift a person's mind. When we no longer understand what genuine beauty is, we are veering from the traditional path for human beings.
Master said in “2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”:
“You have gone against the strong tides of this world. But things aren’t simply what they seem, if you think about it. The entire cosmos is facing elimination, and everything has deteriorated. And yet you have managed to go against such tides!”
As Master has said, we really need to take concrete actions to “go against the tide.”
If we can all learn some traditional culture and use that in our truth-clarification, it will help us to achieve better results. If the photo on our website looks messy, how can it promote Dafa effectively?
For fellow practitioners who are still suffering the persecution in China, things may be difficult. But for our overseas practitioners, we have the resources to learn photography skills, and we should take it seriously.
I suggest that reporter practitioners for Minghui.org or other media learn some basic photography skills. Those who are financially able can consider getting a good camera, or at least learn how to improve photo compositions.
Photography is also a cultivation path. It also requires one to put his or her heart into it, endowing the photos with greater power to save people.
If a professional photographer from everyday people's media wants to get a good photo, they sometimes take thousands of shots and then select the best one to use. So for our practitioners, we need to put more heart into it and spend more effort on it.
As media outlets run by practitioners are becoming more professional, their photos should also meet professional standards.
I think this is the same for many Dafa projects. If we want to do something well, we should take the initiative to learn the professional skills ourselves, rather than relying on the coordinators to give instructions. We should be more mature, work more independently, and take more responsibility.
